When first discussing China with students, the following map is instructive. It shows China superimposed on the US. Showing major cities, it gives the students an idea of the climate and size of China. It is also useful to state the population of the 2 countries in these terms: China has a population of 1.3 billion and the population of the US is .3 billion (this has more impact than saying the the population of the US is 300 million. Then ask them to imagine that population almost entirely on this side of the Mississippi River, as most of China's population is located east of a line drawn roughly from Beijing to Chongqing.
There are many good places on the internet for information that will help in teaching about China.
Reproducible Maps
An excellent source of reproducible images can be found at the Columbia University's site ASIAforEDUCATORS
Sometimes when introducing a unit on China to students it might be helpful for their understanding of the size of China as compared to the United States to see a map of the two interposed on each other. Click on the map for a larger version.
Geography & Population Maps
Population Density Map
There is a wealth of information on the geography and population of China on the ASIAforEDUCATORS website by navigating to Topics - China - Geography - Teaching Units - China's Geography - (Reading/Activity) (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/geog/maps.htm)
Interactive Maps
Another good source for on-line interactive maps is World Regional Geography. Here one will find lesson plans, interactive maps, and many more teaching aids. Another interactive site for younger students that teaches countries of East Asia is the one hosted by Wiley.
This website by Sheppard Software has a tutorial and different levels of difficulty in their interactive maps.
Silk Road
For those discussing the silk "road", here is a map of the Silk Road
Political Maps
If you are looking for maps to illustrate the political period in China between 1911 & 1938 check out this one
Dynasty Maps
Another good site for a timeline and maps on the different political eras of Chinese history is Patricia Ebrey's website A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization. Click on the "Timelines" link.
Qin(221-206 BCE)................... Han (206 BCE - 220 CE).............. Tang (618-907)
Song ( 960-1279)..................... Ming( 1368-1644)..................... Qing (1644-1911)
Patricia Ebrey’s A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civilization
Arranged by Period and Topic, this website offers an incredible array of historical and geographical images that emphasize Buddhism, Calligraphy, Military Technology, Painting, Homes, Gardens, Clothing and Graphic Arts. http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/
Footbinding
Many students are interested in the practice of footbinding which was outlawed in China but there are still women alive today who have bound feet. The following link shows pictures of an 86 year old woman who allowed her bound feet to be photographed.
Chinese Language
There are several sites that offer help in learning to speak standard Chinese.
Table of Contents
There are many good places on the internet for information that will help in teaching about China.
Reproducible Maps
An excellent source of reproducible images can be found at the Columbia University's site ASIAforEDUCATORSSometimes when introducing a unit on China to students it might be helpful for their understanding of the size of China as compared to the United States to see a map of the two interposed on each other. Click on the map for a larger version.
Geography & Population Maps
There is a wealth of information on the geography and population of China on the ASIAforEDUCATORS website by navigating to Topics - China - Geography - Teaching Units - China's Geography - (Reading/Activity) (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/china/geog/maps.htm)
Interactive Maps
Another good source for on-line interactive maps is World Regional Geography. Here one will find lesson plans, interactive maps, and many more teaching aids. Another interactive site for younger students that teaches countries of East Asia is the one hosted by Wiley.This website by Sheppard Software has a tutorial and different levels of difficulty in their interactive maps.
Silk Road
For those discussing the silk "road", here is a map of the Silk RoadPolitical Maps
If you are looking for maps to illustrate the political period in China between 1911 & 1938 check out this oneDynasty Maps
Another good site for a timeline and maps on the different political eras of Chinese history is Patricia Ebrey's website A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization. Click on the "Timelines" link.Yet another source of dynasty maps is the Minneapolis Museum of Art Chinese Dynasty Guide
NOVA Builds a Rainbow Bridge
An examination of material culture during the Song dynasty, including an incredible bridge.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/builds.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/programs/27fb_sle2chin.html guide, etc.)
Qin (221-206 BCE)................... Han (206 BCE - 220 CE).............. Tang (618-907)
Song ( 960-1279)..................... Ming ( 1368-1644)..................... Qing (1644-1911)
Patricia Ebrey’s A Visual Sourcebook for Chinese Civilization
Arranged by Period and Topic, this website offers an incredible array of historical and geographical images that emphasize Buddhism, Calligraphy, Military Technology, Painting, Homes, Gardens, Clothing and Graphic Arts.http://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/
Footbinding
Many students are interested in the practice of footbinding which was outlawed in China but there are still women alive today who have bound feet. The following link shows pictures of an 86 year old woman who allowed her bound feet to be photographed.Chinese Language
There are several sites that offer help in learning to speak standard Chinese.Animated Chinese characters http://www.csulb.edu/%7Etxie/azi/azi.htm
Children's songs + more http://www.wku.edu/~yuanh/AudioChinese/
Common Chinese Phrases Chinese Words and Phrases for K-12 Teachers
FAQs On Many Aspects of Chinese Language http://zhongwen.com/
Get your name in Chinese [[http://www.wku.edu/%7Eyuanh/AudioChinese/|http://www.mandarintools.com/]]
InstantSpeak Chinese http://www.pinyin.org/index.cfm
Learn Chinese Online! http://www.chinese-tools.com/learn/chinese
Pinyin Romanization Guide http://www.pinyin.info/index.html
China's Age of Invention
Another NOVA site about the period of time when China excelled in invention.http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/china/age.html